Evaporative condenser for steam or other vapors



e. F. JONES ET AL EVAPORATIVE CONDENSER FOR STEAM OR OTHER VAPORS Filed Dec. 29. 1923 2 Sheets-Shes! l Oct. 21 I924.

' G. F. JONES ET AL EVAPORATIVE CONDENSER FOR STEAM OR OTHER VAPORS Fi led Dec. 2'9, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

.%y(%jnfons ,0 W 6 Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED .s-TA -Es PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE FREDERICK JONES, OF GHEAIDLE HULME, AN THOMAS LAURENCE HALE, O15 BOLTON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNDRFS TO THE CONDENSING LOCOM OTIVE GOM- PANY LIMITED, 01? GLASGOXV, SCOTLAND, A BRITISH QOMPANY.

EVAPORATIVE CONDENSER F033 iSTEAI tI 01?. VAPO'RS.

Application filed. December 29, 1 923.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that we, ,GEoRc-n Fennnmon Jones and Known-is LAURENCE HALE, bot-h subjects of the King ,of England, and resi- ,dents, res ectively, of Oheadle Hulme, Cheshire, ngland, and Bolton, Lancashire, England, have invented certain new and useiul improvements in Evaporative Condensers for Steam or Other Vapors, of which the-iollowin-g ,is a specification.

lhis invention is for improvements in or relatingto evaporative condensers, and has ztor its object to provide an improved construction 01"- condenser ot the general type described-in theprior British-patent specification-of RamsayNo. 5,223 of 1915. In the said specification ;there is described a condenser which comprises a rotatable horizonttally disposed cylindrical bank of tubes which receive -.-the vapor to be condensed, andrthesetubes in their rotation are dipped ,intoatrough of liquid. The cooling of the steam to ,be condensed ,is obtained by the evaporation of the film of liquid which adheres to the-tubes after their immersion.

lthasibcen found that the efficiency of the tubes, from a condensing point of view, is reduced whilst they are immersed in the ,liquid, and that the efficiency of the condenser isrto a large extent dependent on ,the ,thinness of the film of wateron them. It is the object of the present invention to provide acondenser in which the wetting of the tubes with a him of liquidis effected in asshort a timeras possible, in order that the maximu ncondensing effect can be obtained.

According to this invention therefore, instead of providing a trough of water in which {the tubes are immersed to wet them,- there is gprovi ed a 1liquidespraving de- -vieesosituated with respect ,to the bank of ituhesas to provide acu-rtain of liquid which willavet the outer surface of the tubes in a ,shorttime asdhey pass throughthe curtain in their rot i .P. a rehlv -the ai .liq idvp y s device grnounted insidethe haul: of tubes near the bettom tl ereo-f and the liquid is projected ,downwa-r-ds onto the tubes.

. Qt-ll1*,f&til.15,-0;f the invention relate to [details of rconstruction as hereinafter set ion-thin relation togthe specific embodiment e the v ntie fierial No. 583,376.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l shows in central sectional ele- .vation an evaporativecondenser in accordance with this invention; and i Figure 2 shows transverse sectiononthe line 2-2.oi?' Figure l.

Like rei erence characters indicate like parts n both the figures.

The ,BVLPQlBfQlVQ condenser comprises an outer casing 10 which maybe cylindrical ,or

and theinlet-header 1,4: is .mountedon a suitable hollow disc-shaped casting which pro vides atrunnion 16 rotatable within th-ebcaring 12. ivithin the rotatable trunnion 16 is a tubular ,member 1 which ,is stationary and projectsbeyond theendofthe trunnion ,this member .17 constitutes the inletfor t hc steam to be condensed and is formed in any suitable or convenient manner tor attachment-to i-the exhaust steam pi pe or equiva lent part. The outlet-header 13 is connected bya numberof radial pipes l8,to-a,tulu1lar shaft 19 which .is rotatable the bearing l1. Suitableopenings 2,0 in the Shaft 19 communicate with an annular space 21 in the bearing, and ,through it with an outlet 22 in the frame supporting the hearing, this outlet 22 constituting themeans whereby the condensateis withdrawnytrom the condenser.

Asshown most clearly in ,l tigure 1, tl1 e hollow shaft 19 is 1 provided Ivvith a coax al inner wall .23 to providea closed annular space through ,whichthe .condeusate,isldelivered; to

thepoutlet 22.

Within the aforesaid hollow shaft .19, 37 th is amoun stat n y bell ishaft 2i, which is supported at its outer end gill a suitable ,bracket 25, and extends inwards to inside the bank of tubes .15. Atits inner-end it is provided with lateral openings 26 ,to afii'ord communication ,to a ehem e fi (s nnwhich mm cates with a suitable pipe or like member 28 extendinglengthwise,ofthe bank of tubes and situated inside ,them and opposite the lowest point of the cylindrical bani; is

by means of water alone.

7 bush 30 is secured on the end of the shaft 29 so that if it is necessary to examine or renew it, it can be withdrawn through the hollow shaft 2 1 without dismantling the whole condenser. The structure furthermore comprises a conical frame-member 31 near one end of the condenser and a series of conical partitions 32 which co-operate with radial partitions or battle-plates 33, 3%, all carried on the revolving structure, which includes the bank of tubes 15, to provide a tortuous path of flow for air entering the condenser casing at the righthand end in Figure 1 by openings 35 and passing out to atmosphere at the other end through a suitable opening 36. Radial partitions 37 are provided on the inner surface of the casing 10 in line with the partitions 34- aforesaid to provide a substantially com plete partition from the inner face of the bank of tubes to the casing 10.

The hollow shaft 24 aforesaid is provided with lateral openings 38 at its outer end which communicate with an inlet passage 89. The inner end of this shaft is closed by an enlargement 10 on the shaft 29 so that cooling water supplied through the inlet 39 is caused to pass through the shaft 24: and chamber 27 into the tubular member 28 aforesaid. Some of this water is led out at the further end of the member 28 by a pipe connection 11 to lubricate the bearing 30 aforesaid.

The tubular member 28 is perforated or slotted along its lowermost surface to form a series of sprayingjets, or a continuous jet, whereby cooling water supplied through the inlet 39 as aforesaid is delivered as a curtain spray on to the bank of tubes 15. The wall of the chamber 27 is also provided with a jet or jets to direct it on to the ends ofthe tubes 15 as shown in Figure 1.

In the operation of this condenser, the steam or vapor to be condensed is admitted by the pipe-member 17 to the header 14- and passes thence-into the tubes 15; cooling water is pumped in through the inlet 39 and projected as above described, as a curtain spray on to the tubes 15. The structure carrying the bank of tubes is rotated in any 'eonvenient manner, as for example by means of a gear drive on to a toothed rim 42 secured on the header 14, so that all the tubes are passed in turn through the curtain spray and effectively wetted. The film of water which they thereby receive absorbs heat from the steam inside the tubes and th vapor is carried away by the current of air which is circulated round the tubes in the manner above described. The condensate drains into the header 13 and is thence removed through the outlet 22. Scoops or blades may be provided inside the header 13 to lift the condensate during the rotation of the header and deliver it into the tubes 18 so that it can flow through the shaft 19 to the outlet 22. It will be seen that with this construction of condenser the air and steam flow in opposite directions through it, and the arrangement whereby the water is projected downwards on to the tubes to wet them, provides for effectively wetting; all of the tubes, this effective wet- "l lting from the initial velocity of r as delivered by the jets, its tendto fall (lO\\'ll.Wlll(lS, and also to centrifforce acting on it from the rotation the bank of tubes. It is therefore posible elfcctivcly to coat the tubes with a bin film of water during the very short nice of time in which they are passing irough the curtain or spray of water, and 1e eiliciency of the whole condenser is thereenchanced. Any excess water which is not retained on the tubes drains to the bottom of the casing 10 and is withdrawn and ulated by the supply pump.

at wc claim as our invention and d by Letters Patent is: n marwrative condenser the com-- l: i of rotatable horizontally-dis cylindrical bank of tubes to receive the vapor to be condensed, means for circulziiin air round the tubes. and, a liquid de c so situated as to provide in of liquid which will wet the outer ..ce of the tubes as they pass through the curta n in their rotation.

2. in e aporativc condenser, the coinhinntion of a rotatable horizontally-disposed cylindrical bank of tubes to receive within them the vapor to he condensed. means focirculating air around the tubes, :1. liquid spraying device mounted inside the haul: of tubes 11 J the bottom thereof and di reeled downwardly to provide a curl ain of liquid which will wet the outer surface of th said t hes in a short time as they pass through the curtain in their rotation.

it in an eva iiorative condenser. the coin binaticn of two headers. hollow trunnions constituting the bearings for said headers and also constituting respectively an inlet for the vapor to be condensed and an out let for the condensate, a cylindrical horizontally-disposed bank of tubes extending between said headers, a hollow stationary (ill Ill)

shaft extending through the trunnion of one of said headers, a spraying device mounted inside said bank of tubes communicating with said stationary shaft, means for supplying liquid to said spraying device, and means for circulating air around said tubes.

4:. In an evaporative condenser, the combination of two headers, hollow trunnions constituting the bearings for said headers and also constituting respectively an inlet for the vapor to be condensed and an out:- let for the condensate, a cylindrical horizontally-disposed bank of tubes extending between said headers, a hollow stationary shaft extending through the trunnion of one of said headers, a spraying device mounted inside said bank of tubes communicating with said stationary shaft, means for supplying liquid to said spraying device, and means for circulating air in a tortuous path through said bank of tubes.

In an evaporative condenser, the combination of a substantially cylindrical casing, horizontally-disposed bearings at each end of said casing, hollow trunnions rotatable in said bearings, headers supported by and communicating with said trunnions, a horizontallydisposed cylindrical bank of tubes extending between said headers, a water-spraying device situated inside said bank of tubes and directed on to them, a hollow shaft extending through one of said trunnions and communicating with said spraying device, means for supplying water to said hollow shaft, means for supplying steam to one of said trunnions, means for withdrawing condensate from the other nions, means for withdrawing condensate from the other of said trunnions, a station ary rod extending through one of said trunnions and supported in a bearing in the other of said trunnions, a bush secured on said rod and engaging the second of said trunnions, a hollow shaft secured coaxially with the said rod, means for supplying water to the interior of said stationary shaft, a spraying device supported from said rod inside said bank of tubes and directed on to them, means for supplying water from said stationary shaft to said spraying device, means for supplying water from said spraying device to the bush mounted on said rod, an air inlet opening at one end of said casing, an air outlet opening at the other end of said casing, and battles to direct the flow of air repeatedly across said tubes when passing from said inlet to said outlet.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

lEOR-GE FREDERICK JONES. THOMAS LAURENCE HALE. 

